E1M3: Royal Gardens (Sold Soul)

E1M3: Royal Gardens is the third map of Sold Soul. It was designed by Fryuko and uses the music track "Pest Control" from .

Essentials
Due to an oversight at the start of the level, it can only be completed on bringest them oneth (BTO) skill level or higher (see Bugs).

Press the switch in front of you to raise the floor, taking you up to a small courtyard with two iron liches - they must be destroyed to open two of the three bars blocking the north doorway. Go to the east side to find one or two sabreclaws protecting a face switch, which will lower two lifts on the opposite side of the courtyard, then ride either lift up to a second face switch that will open the remaining bar for you and lower a pillar holding a Hellstaff in the courtyard. Go through the north doorway and turn left, follow the passage to a chamber where one or two undead warriors guard a trident switch, then press it to lower a lift on the other side of the passage. Ride the lift up to a second chamber and press the trident switch here to lower the pillar holding the blue key, along with two monster closets containing disciples of D'Sparil.

Open the blue key door to reach the surrounding garden and head to the west side to dispose of some sabreclaws, then continue west to a large hedge maze - to get through it more easily, enter the maze from the west side then walk north and east to some pods, which you can blow up to find a weredragon guarding a Phoenix Rod and another switch. Press it, kill the sabreclaws waiting outside the maze then return to the starting area before heading to its north side (there is a Dragon Claw sitting on a low wall here) to find a water pool. Climb to the top step to get a Morph Ovum, then walk west through a doorway to enter an enclosure with ophidians and fire gargoyles before pressing the switch on the west side to lower the surrounding walls and reveal weredragons. Continue west to confront some followers of D'Sparil and an iron lich, press the switch on the east block to lower it then use the block to jump across to an opening in the west wall. Drop down the hole in front of you to land in an area with some high waterfalls, then look over the west edge of the ledge you are standing on to see some platforms leading down to a circular lift. Ride the lift up to the grassy cliffs above the waterfalls, then go to the north-east corner to find a Tome of Power and a switch; pressing it will lower the yellow key next to the lift, and allow two chaos wyverns to teleport in.

There are some brown steps on the south side of the cliffs that lead to a small cavern, but you must kill both of the chaos wyverns to lower the bars blocking your way. Activate the circular lift in the cavern and ride it up to the hedge maze, then go back to the starting area and open the yellow key door in the south wall to enter a room with a small enclosure. Go round to the south side of the enclosure and press the switch here to open the surrounding doors, kill any weredragons that are released then go through the east door and follow the tunnel to a cave. Continue south past some sabreclaws to get outside, then look north to see a switch; after pressing it, face west towards a ledge with nitrogolems and shoot another switch that has been revealed to raise some platforms leading to that ledge. Go south across a wooden bridge to a lift and ride it up to a wall with undead warriors, then walk east into a teleporter that will put you on the opposite side of the wall where more undead warriors protect the green key.

Drop down to the ground and press the blue trident switch in front of the large gate, which will open a compartment behind you holding a maulotaur - disciples will also teleport in on BTO or higher. Kill the maulotaur to open some bars in the south-east corner of the garden, then head past these bars to find a weredragon guarding the level exit.

Secrets

 * 1) After opening the blue key door, head to the east switch in the starting area and use it, then quickly run past the door to a Morph Ovum. (sector 152)
 * 2) Enter the hedge maze from the east side and go to the first set of pods. Blow them up and follow the path behind them until you are at the east end. Take the first path west to a dead end and lower it to get a Shadowsphere. (sector 422)
 * 3) In the room west of the north end of the hub, make your way to the west corridor and use the north wall with metal ridges to find a Mystic Urn. (sector 752)
 * 4) In the north-west area with the high waterfalls, head to the south-east wall and find a switch hidden behind one of the water spouts, then quickly run to the north-east corner to find Wings of Wrath. (sector 812) Note that you must fight chaos wyverns to unlock the bars out of here, so do not use the Wings of Wrath yet as some secrets require it.
 * 5) In the area with the high waterfalls, use the Wings of Wrath from secret #4 to fly to the north ledge with Crystal Geodes and a Morph Ovum. (sector 773)
 * 6) Use the Wings of Wrath from secret #4 to get to the top of the fountain north of the hub which has a Map Scroll. (sector 187)
 * 7) In the hall leading to the south end, use the south-west spine wall to find a Crystal Vial, an Energy Orb and a Tome of Power. (sector 958)
 * 8) Head east from the green key through the gap in the barrels and fall into the hole to get a Mystic Urn. (sector 1181)

Bugs
On thou needeth a wet nurse and yellowbellies-r-us skill levels, it is impossible to leave the starting room without cheating. On BTO or higher, two iron liches are present which have the "Door Generic" action special assigned to them, and will open the metal bars at the north end of the room when killed; however, on the easiest difficulties they are replaced with weredragons which lack this function. Consequently, the player cannot reach the switch that lowers the blue key.

Current records
The records for the map at the Doom Speed Demo Archive are:

The (absence of) data was last verified in its entirety on December 16, 2021.

Things
This level contains the following numbers of things per skill level: